Stephens College digital filmmaking seniors to premiere work on March 8

The Stephens College Digital Filmmaking Program will proudly present the Senior Film Showcase, featuring the premiere of capstone projects by senior digital filmmaking majors, on March 8, 2019, at 7 p.m. in Windsor Auditorium on the Stephens campus. The event is free and open to the public.

Featured short films will include: “Last Line,” a drama by Ashley Albright ’18; “Tidal,” a drama by Hannah Dorey ’18; “Criminal,” an action film by Rachael Mallinson ’18; “Hell or High Water,” a drama by Megan Peterson ’19; and “Curl,” a drama by Ayanna Smith ’19.

Smith, who will graduate from Stephens in May, found the editing process to be most challenging in the making of her film.

“Especially at the beginning, you have a huge puzzle to put together, and it can be very daunting,” she said.

“Curl” is set in the wake of another police brutality national story: “Jade, a black freshman, feels like the news story is taking over her life. When her white friends at school unknowingly say ignorant comments about the story, Jade begins to feel ashamed of her blackness. With the help of her sister, Noel, Jade starts to understand what it means to be black in a predominantly white environment.”

“The most rewarding process was calling ‘that's a wrap’ after shooting the last scene,” Smith said. “You don’t really know what you have, but regardless, you shot a movie, which is pretty cool.”

Dorey said the ideation for “Tidal” — about Nora, a young woman struggling with an unnamed mental health illness — came from both personal experience and the minimal exploration of mental health in mainstream media.

She said the response to her film by those who have also struggled with mental health issues has been rewarding.

“The support, love and understanding I've received has been overwhelming, and I will forever be grateful for the entire experience,” said the December 2018 graduate who now works as a freelance designer and photographer back home in Australia.

The film showcase, which is free and open to public, will be preceded by an opening reception at 6 p.m. in Columbia Foyer. A Q&A with the student filmmakers will follow the screenings.

Pictured above: The set of “Tidal,” a drama by Hannah Dorey ’18. Pictured right: The set of “Curl,” a drama by Ayanna Smith ’19.